Pixie Dust Central: 6 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Disney Vacation

Pixie Dust Central:6 Ways To Get The Most Out Of
Your Disney Vacation

Planning a vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort happens to be one of my very favorite things in the world! So, this month I thought I’d share some tips on how to really get the most out of your vacation. Let’s face it, family vacations are not cheap and if it were possible to make a huge difference on how your vacation played out by spending just a little bit of time planning ahead, you’d do it, wouldn’t you?

I’ve heard many people say that they’re so overwhelmed and they’re not too sure where to begin to plan. I’ve also heard from folks who don’t like to plan anything at all; they just like to ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ and let things play out as they will once they arrive. Well, here’s the thing about that – when you are getting ready to spend a pretty decent-sized chunk of money on a family vacation, wouldn’t you want to put a little bit of effort into making sure that things go well? Yes, I thought so.

Take a look at my family’s planning must-do’s and learn about how we get the most out of our vacations!

1. Check For Special Offers On The Disney Website

Whenever you’re planning a Disney vacation, it is ALWAYS important to check for any specials going on during the time you’re thinking about visiting. Doing this could make a big difference in the amount of money you’re going to spend on your vacation. If you can be a little bit flexible on your dates, you may be able to save even more money. I recommend continuing to check the Special Offers page even after you’ve booked because you never know what specials could be coming up.

2. Visit The My Disney Experience Page

If you don’t have an online Disney account and you’re planning to visit a Disney Park, it’s imperative that you set up a My Disney Experience account. In this day and age, technology is a very important part of planning a Disney vacation. Don’t worry, it’s easy peasy, and even if you’re not technically savvy, you’re going to be able to do this without an issue because the on-screen instructions are very user friendly. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the ease and convenience of this online experience.

3. Customize and Order Your MagicBands

This is always something that’s so fun for my family! Everyone gets to choose their own MagicBand color (from 7 standard choices) and once you’ve customized them, they will be shipped to your home prior to your vacation starting which just adds to the magic, in my opinion.

Now, if your family is anything like mine and two people want the same color, don’t worry because their name will be printed on the inside of the MagicBand so you’ll be able to tell them apart. There are also loads of ways to customize your MagicBands once you’ve arrived at the Parks!

4. Check For Extra Magic Hours

There are many benefits to staying in a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. One of my favorites is being able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours available at the Theme Parks. Extra Magic Hours are a special benefit for Guests of Walt Disney World Resort hotels where you can enjoy extra time in the parks before they open and after they close! Each day, select Attractions are open longer at one of the Theme Parks giving you and members of your party some time to enjoy the Parks with less crowds. You can view the times that Extra Magic Hours are offered by visiting the online calendar.

5. Make Your FastPass+ Selections and Advanced Dining Reservations

You might not think that you’d need to plan out your meals for your upcoming Disney vacation, but if you’re looking forward to enjoying some of the more popular Character meals and shows, you’re going to want to plan ahead a bit here. Advanced Dining Reservations are accepted 180-days in advance and because of their extreme popularity, I highly recommend scheduling [at least] one Table Service meal per day as the restaurants do fill up rather quickly. You can always change your plans around as you get closer to your travel dates.

Disney FastPass+ service lets you reserve access to select Attractions and entertainment. Once you’ve purchased your Park tickets or Annual Pass, you can start making your selections as early as 30 days before you arrive, or up to 60 days before check-in when you have a Walt Disney World Resort hotel reservation – another fabulous perk of staying on-site! You can secure up to 3 FastPass+ selections per day in advance either online or by using the [My Disney Experience] mobile app, or for the same day at any of the in-park FastPass+ kiosks. After you redeem your initial 3 picks, head to a kiosk where you’ll be able to make another selection. The kiosks are conveniently located all around the Parks – just pick up a Park map on your way in!

6. Stop By The Disney Parks Moms Panel!

If all of this still feels a little overwhelming to you and you’re not quite sure which way to turn, Disney Parks has just the perfect resource – the Disney Parks Moms Panel! The Disney Parks Moms Panel is the ultimate resource for you to receive helpful tips and heartfelt advice about Disney vacation destinations from real moms, dads and in-the-know family members.

Whether you have a question about a Theme Park, restaurant, service, shop, hotel or activity, the Moms Panel is there to help you plan and get the most out of your magical vacation. The best part is that this resource is free to use and you’ll receive a personal answer from one of the Panelists who is passionate about their Disney vacations and eager to help you with yours! How cool is that?

I hope this gives you a great place to start! Please let us know how you make the most of your Disney vacations in the comments below!

Pixie Dust Central: The Scoop On Dining Reservations At Walt Disney World In my old days of planning a vacation with...

Jackie GaileyApril 28, 2015

Combing the aisles at Target in search of the best deal on Cheerios, it hit Rene Syler like the stench of a dirty diaper on a hot summer’s day. Not only is perfection overrated its utterly impossible! Suddenly empowered, she figuratively donned her cape, scooped up another taco kit for dinner and Good Enough Mother was born.